Paul Brown, Lawson Aschenbach and Patrick Long over the weekend clinched their respective class drivers' championships in the SCCA Pirelli World Challenge series, with Brown (GTS) and Aschenbach (Touring Car) also winning at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on Sept. 19

In GT action at Laguna, Mike Skeen took the lead in his No. 2 Cragar Wheels/CRP Chevrolet Corvette on lap 21 with a pass on the outside of turn 10, when he and then-leader Randy Pobst's K-Pax Racing Volvo S60 split a slower Touring Car. From there, Skeen pulled away for a 4.139-second win, his third of the season.

“Winning the race is just awesome,” Skeen said. “We're really glad to be back in victory circle for CRP Racing. It's been a while--we had some tough luck at Mid-Ohio and Sonoma. This team really deserves to have a car back up front. “

“We had a really tough race. We qualified well yesterday and Randy [Pobst] just beat us at the end of qualifying. I didn't have a great start so we dropped back. All of those yellows just made it tough to make a move. We finally had a long run at the end, and got lucky in traffic a couple of times. We split a Touring Car coming down the hill into 10 and got Randy around the outside. I appreciate him giving me room, and I'm happy to be up here.”

Despite missing round four at Miller Motorsports Park, Long--who has won a number of championships behind the wheel of a Porsche in multiple sports-car series, including the American Le Mans Series--clinched his first Pirelli World Challenge championship with his fifth-place finish in the No. 45 Privacy Star/TruSpeed Porsche 911 GT3 with one race remaining.

“It's a testament to reliability, because we finished every race that we entered, and in the top six at that,” Long said. “I thought after missing Salt Lake, which was the plan all along, I thought it was going to be tough to make it back. And to wrap it up one race early, that's a testament to the whole team and to the Porsche 911. Our whole focus was knowing when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em, and when to bet big.”

In GTS, Brown led flag-to-flag to win--and clinch his first series title--in the No. 50 One Hour Heating and Air/Luminox/Kenny Brown Ford Mustang Boss 302S. Brown qualified on the pole, pulled away at the start, and hustled to a 2.713-second margin of victory.

“I started it just like every other and went as hard and as fast as I could at the start,” Brown said. “I watched the guys moving around at the back. Luckily, or unluckily, there was a GT car that stalled and really screwed up the one line. I just put my head down and worked my butt off.”

Brown wasn't even sure if funding was available at the start of the season to run for a championship. The team placed together race-to-race deals to make it to every round.

“I don't know how to explain it, it's really surreal,” Brown said. “I'm just shocked.”

In Touring Car, Aschenbach clinched the title with his win after beginning the day in the back of the field. Aschenbach started ninth in class in his No. 71 Compass360 Racing Honda Civic Si after missing qualifying, but by the end of lap one he was already in fourth position. Trailing only the Volvos of Aaron Povoledo and Robb Holland, and the Volkswagen GTI of Tristan Herbert, Aschenbach settled-in to earn as many points as he could.

“The crazy thing was, I couldn't see the [starting] lights because of the way I was staged,” Aschenbach said. “There was a car blocking my view, so my crew chief had to actually call the start for me. I was a little bit late to jump the start, but fortunately everyone else around me was as well. I was headed into turn one and everyone slowed on the inside of the track and I went to the outside. That was a big part of how I was able to do what I did today.”

Aschenbach moved past the No. 66 K-Pax Volvo C30 of Holland on lap 17 of the 26 lap race. He then inherited second place when Povoledo's No. 88 C30 fell out on lap 19 with mechanical trouble.

After Herbert struggled while working through lapped traffic, Aschenbach moved to the bumper--and past--Herbert with two laps remaining to take his fifth win of the season and lock up the title.

“Winning two championship in consecutive years with Compass360 Racing and Honda is a really good feeling,” Aschenbach said. “Honda Racing/HPD has been a huge supporter of this program from day one. We knew this program had to be solid from the beginning of the year, all the way back to me actually getting the ride, and I can't thank [Compass360 Racing team principal] Karl Thompson enough for the opportunity.”

The Pirelli World Challenge concludes at Road Atlanta, Sept. 28-30, with the Cadillac Road Atlanta Grand Prix as part of the American Le Mans Series Petit Le Mans weekend.